No doubt deception delivers

Doubt, deception and deliverance fill three shows over three weekends in the annual series of summer plays at the Globe Theatre of the Great Southwest.

The Bard is back again for the Southwest Shakespeare Festival, featuring one play by his hand and two others that are thematically related.

This year's drama series begins Thursday and includes a lineup of "Measure for Measure" by William Shakespeare, "Doubt: A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" by Marian Jonson.

Artistic Director Anthony Ridley said he's excited about the new shows this year and the out-of-town actors and stage manager brought in for the festival.

The professional performances and variance of play material appeals to an audience that extends beyond the Basin, he said.

"It might not draw as many locals, but it might entice people from farther away to come in," Ridley said. "We've had numbers of people come in from Dallas or other places."

"Measure for Measure," a Shakespearean comedy from the early 17th century, ties the theatrical trio together, even though it's not well known.

"A lot of Shakespeare's plays come from other plays or source material," Ridley said. "This year we're doing a play that doesn't get done very often."

The Globe hired Chad Cazee, education director for the Permian Playhouse, to direct "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" for the Shakespeare Festival - an event he's very familiar with.

"The festival has tremendous influence because it gives young actors the opportunity to work with professionals and they get to see what working actors do," Cazee said. "That's where I started as a director - they gave me my first start."

As the family show of the festival, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" does have some variances from the Disney movie. The dwarfs don't have names because Disney copyrights them all, but Cazee said the play version has enough similarities and new twists to please audiences.

As an Odessa theatrical tradition, the Shakespeare Festival showcases local and professional talent for a tourist attraction.
"They have people come in from everywhere," Cazee said. "I think it brings up the morale for the entire community."

WANT TO GO?
>> The 2008 Southwest Shakespeare Festival is Thursday through Sept. 14 at the Globe Theatre, 2308 Shakespeare Road.
>> ‘Measure for Measure' by William Shakespeare is at 8 p.m. Aug. 29, Sept. 6, 12 and 13; 2:30 p.m. Aug. 31.
>> ‘Doubt: A Parable' by John Patrick Shanley is at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30 and 31 and Sept. 5; 2:30 p.m. Sept. 7.
>> ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' by Marian Jonson is at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 30, Sept. 1, 6, 13 and 14.
>> Tickets for ‘Measure for Measure,' and ‘Doubt: A Parable' are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors and $10 for groups of 15 or more. Tickets for ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' are $6. Two children get in free to the Sept. 1 Labor Day show with the purchase of one adult ticket.
>> Call 580-3177 or 332-1586.

MEET THE CASTS

‘Measure for Measure'
>> Duke: Mikel MacDonald.
>> Angelo: Brian Mulholland.
>> Escalus: Gary Bookhammer.
>> Provost: Maija Johnson.
>> Lucio/Froth: Victor Lopez.
>> Pompey/Friar Thomas: Jonathon Horne.
>> Claudio: James Lewallen.
>> Elbow/Abhorson: Chad
Cazee.
>> Barnardine/Officer: Scott Tomlinson.
>> Attendant/Boy: Jocelyn Mosman.
>> Isabella: Kay Allmand.
>> Mariana/Mistress Overdone: Kathy Hollmann.
>> Director: Cynthia White.
>> Stage Manager: John Collins.
>> Costumes Designer: Rhonda Gorman.

‘Doubt: A Parable'
>> Sister James: Kay Allmand.
>> Sister Aloysius: Kathryn Graybill.
>> Father Flynn: Ryan Schabach.
>> Mrs. Muller: Candice Voake.
>> Director: Anthony Ridley.
>> Stage Manager: Betsy Daniel.
>> Costume Designer: Rhonda Gorman.

‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'
>> Gretchen: D'Alice Balanger.
>> The Footman: Anthony Ridley.
>> Snow White: Hope Boyer.
>> Ermintrude: Maija Johnson.
>> Emily: Amber McDonald.
>> Jeanne Marie: Whitney Ridley.
>> Frederick: Arik Vega.
>> The Mirror Prince: Max Stanley.
>> The Dark Queen: Kathy Hollmann.
>> Dwarfs: Bethany Lewallen, Dylan White, Caleb Williams, Mia Stanley, Brianna Lewallen, Levi Ridley and Zachary Virgil-Minyard.
>> Director: Chad Cazee.
>> Stage Manager: Jami Myers.
>> Costume Design: Patrick Moore.

ONE FOR THE BARD, TWO FOR THE SHOW

‘Measure for Measure'
>> A strict, self-righteous man comes to terms with his own immorality when he attempts to purge his city of sin. This Shakespeare comedy plot from the early 1600s involves mistaken identity, deception, death and sexual impropriety, titled after a biblical passage.

‘Doubt: A Parable'
>> Set in the Bronx in 1964, this hit Broadway play examines life inside a Catholic school and parish when a principal raises doubts about the popular, young priest and his relationship with some of the male students. This play won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play in 2005.

‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'
>> A fantasy prince, with the help of seven dwarfs, finds the courage to break the Dark Queen's spell and save Snow White. This
child-friendly musical is based on the fairytale classic by the Brothers Grimm.